Oiling apparatus for band-wheel mechanism



Nov. 8, 1927.

F. J. SCHWIMMER ET AL OILING APPARATUS FOR BAND WHEEL MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 28, 1925 INVENTOR$ ATTORNEY Nov. 6, 1927. 1,648,066

F. J. SCHWIMMER ETAL OILING APPARATUS FOR BAND WHEEL MECHANISM Filed Sept-28, 1925 2 ShGGtS-Shfifit 2 Z! 67 Q 2 INVENTORS ATTORNEYS,

Patented 'Nov.,8, 1927..

UNlTED STATES EFBEDBICK ll. fiCHW IMMI ER AND 1,648,t66 PATENT orr ca.

CLYDE s. weren't, or roun OHIO, assrenons to ram narrower, sorrt'r comrm; or rotnnapnro, a conroaarron or onro.

omme arrAnA'rUsnon BAND-WHEEL nn'crmmsm.

a licants filed September 28, was. 4 Serial No. 59,005.

This invention relates to the lubricationof rotary apparatus and is described in the following specification as applied toa band wheel power apparatus such as used in oil well practice for the operation of pumps. The general object of the invention is to rovide simple means for supplying a sufiiclent flow of lubricant to the bearing surfaces of a rotary mechanism. The band wheel power apparatus usually embodies in its construction one or more eccentrics, the straps of which carry pull rods which operate the pumps; and one of the objects of the/invention is to provide a simple means for lubricating the bearing faces at the hub of the band wheel and also means involving centrifugal action for supplying the lubricant liberally to the bearing faces of the eccentrics, thereafter returning the oil to a reservoir from which it is automatically raised by the rotation of the band wheel.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel'parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to pro duce an eficient oiling apparatus for band wheel mechanism. p

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

This application is an improvement on our application Serial No. 617,697, filed'Feb-' ruary 8, 1923, and is also a continuation of that application so far as the. basin 57, the dam 58, and the notch56 are concerned.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a band wheel power mechanism em bodying our invention, certain parts being broken. away; Fig. 2, a central vertical section taken at right angles to'the plane of the section shown in Fig. 1, parts being omitted and broken away; Fig. 3, a plan view of one of the eccentrics embodying a modification; and Fig. 4 is a section on the line IVIV on. Fig. 3.

The apparatus embodying our invention includes a substantially vertical or upri ht.

central spindle carrying a member in sue a way that the spindle and the member are relatively rotatable. Associated with. these members and preferably located in the spindle we provide a reservoir for a lubricant. In addition to this we provide automatic the spindle and the other member.

the apparatus includes other parts with wearlng faces or surfaces we also provide means for guiding the lubricant to such'faces and after lubricating all these bearing faces the lubricant is returned by guiding means which weprovide which carries the lubricant back to the reservoir. In this way the bearing surfaces are all working substantlally in a'bath of lubricant or oil. In applying our invention to an apparatus such as a band wheel power mechanism, the I spindle 1 of the apparatus may be provided with a central bore or well 2, the bottom of which constitutes a reservoir 3 to receive a bath of lubricant or oil. U11 the upper portion'of this spindle there is rotatably mounted a band wheel 4, the hub 5 of which is' provided with a bushing 6 which comes in contact with the spindle. Below the band wheel we provide an eccentric 7 which is provided with a circumferential'or cylindrical bearing face 10 which receives an eccentric ring or strap 11 of; suitable diameter to fit to it. The upper edges of'these two parts, that is the eccentric and its strap, are cut away on their adjacent portions so that they cooperate to form a gutter or oil cup or groove 12 extending along the edge of the strap and centric with a projecting flange 13, the upper side of which forms a bearing face or seat 14: on which rests the lower face of the eccentrio strap.

In order to retain the oil which lubricates the bearing faces of the strap and eccentric, we provide the outer edge of the flange 13 with. an upwardly projecting lip 15 which extends continuously around the eccentric.

The eccentric strap is provided with pull rods 16 which may be connected to pumps .or any other devices which are to beactuated by this mechanism.

A second eccentric 17 may be provided below the eccentric just described and is,

substantially the same as the upper eccentric. The, upper edges of the eccentric 17 and of its ring or strap 19 are constructed so as to form an annular oil cup or groove 20 similar on the friction ring to the oil cup 12. The eccentric, strap 19 may be supported also on a bearing face 21 operating as a seat beyond which the eccentric is formed with an upwardly projecting lip 22 .to retain the oil which gravitates down from the bearing faces- The hub 5 and the eccentrics 7 and 17 are connected into a rigid unit by the bolts 8 which pass through alined holes therein as shown in Fig. 2, the unit being clampe tightly by the nuts 9 applied to both ends of the bolts.

This strap 19 is also provided with pull rods 23 for operating pumps.

We provide means for supplying a liberal quantity of oil from the reservoir 3 so .that it passes all of these bearing faces described above including the, bushing 6 and is finally returned to the reservoir 3. In order to accomplish this we provide within the spindle 1 a pump barrel 24, the upper end of which may be secured in a plug 25 seating on and in the upper end of the spindle. This plug extends above the spindle and is cut away on one side so as to carry a support means such as a lever 26 for operating the pump. This lever may connect directly with a tubular plunger rod 27, the lower end of which carries a plunger 28 and the upper check valve 29 of the pump. At the lower end of the barrel 24 a lower check valve 30 is provided.

In order to operate the pump plunger automatically we prefer to'provide the upper end of the hub 5 of the band wheel with a crown or bowl 31', the interior of which is enlarged to form a basing 32 to carry oil and the inner face of this crown is provided with a cam-groove 33 which engages the outer end of the lever 26 and rocksthe lever as the band wheelrotates. The upper end of the tubular stem 27 carries two branch pipes 34 and 35 which move through openings in the guide plate 36 and deliver the oil into the basing 32. The bore of the bushing 6 is provided with two or more longitudinal oil grooves 37 which enable the oil within the basing 32 to descend between the bushing and the bearing face of the spindle, thereby lubricating these faces. Between the lower portion of the hub 5 and the spindle 1 an annular guide chamber 38 is provided'for the oil which carries the oil down to a point substantially level with the" upper oil groove 12, and the upper edge of the hub 39 of the upper eccentric.

The oil passes from the chamber 38 down through grooves 40 in the vertical bushing 41 which surrounds the lower portion of the spindle 1 and stands in the hubs of the eccentrics 7 and 17. The bushing has at its lower end a horizontal flange 42 which rides 43' resting on the horizontal base 44 of the spindle 1 and is pre by the dowel pin 45.

.flow and be brought There is a groove 46 .in the topface of the ring 42 through which oil flows for lubricating the contiguous surfaces of the flange 42 and the ring 43. The said flange and ring are surrounded by the cup 47 from the interior of which a passa e 48 extends to the reservoir. Excessoil r nning down between the spindle land the bushing 41 escapes down the grooves 40 into the passage d 48, a portion of the excess oil traversing the passage 46 which opens into the cup 47. The level of the oil in the cup should be such as to cover the bearing surfaces between the flange 42 and the ring 43.

Oil in thei'se'rvoir 3 may be drawn oil through the passage 49 which contains a drain pipe 50 provided with a valve 51.

The branch pipe 34 is arranged nearer the center line of the spindle in order that it may deliver oil into the funnel or chamber 52 at the top of the bushing 6, this chamber communicating at its bottom with the grooves 37. This chamber extends above the bottom of the basin 32, thereby providing an annular chamber or well 53 surrounding the said chamber 52 and providing an overflow from each basin to the other. The discharge pipe 35 delivers oil to the chamber 53, from which it flows down through the passage 54 in the hub 5jto the oil groove 12 whence a portion flows down along the surface 10 to the seat 14, there being a groove 55 provided in the surface 10 down which oil may directly into contact with the bearing surfaces between the eccentric 7 and its ring 11.

At one point there is provided in the top of the eccentric a notch 56 which allows the oil in the groove 12 to flow inwardly into the basin or spillway 57 in the upper face of the eccentric. The inner end of the basin 57 has a wall or dam 58 of such a height that when the eccentric is idle the oil in the basin stands at about the bottom of the notch 56. Any excess oil in the basin flows; over the dam 58 and down the inclined path or pocket 59 in the eccentric toward the hub of the eccentric, which is provided with the port 60, arranged directlyv overthe oil-groove 20. The eccentric 17 has a basin or spillway 61 into which oil is fed through a'notch 62 and from which oil escapes over a dam 63 and down an inclined surface or pocket 64. The basin 61, the notch 62, the dam 63 and the pocket 64 are duplicates of the basin 57, the notch 56, the dam 58 and the pocket 59. From the pocket 64 the oil passes through the port 65 closeto the hub of the eccentric 17 and drops into the cup 47.

,The oil that runs down between the eccentric 7 and its ring 11 collects within the lip 15 and escapes therefrom through the plpe 66 screwed into-a hole in the flange 13. From the pipe 66 the oil drops into the pocket 64. The oil that runs down between the eccentric 17 and its ring 19 collects within the lip 22 and escapes therefrom through the port 67 and goes into the cup 47.

While the eccentrics are'rotating, centrifugal force acting on the oil in the spillways 57 and 61 causes theoil therein to rise in the notches 56 and 62 at the outer ends of the spillways and flood with oil the lines of contact between the eccentrics and their straps. This feature is particularly advantageous when starting the machine after it has been idle and the oil has mostly drained out of the bearings between the eccentrics and their straps. Immediately upon starting the machine, thesebearings get oil without waiting for oil to be carried from the pump to the grooves 12 and 20. It will be observed that the slope of the bottoms of the pockets 59 and 64 is quite steep so that gravity will flow the oil towards the outlet ports and 65 despite the action of centrifugal force.

The provision of separate chambers 52 and 53 for directing oil to the two systems of oiling for the ,spindle bearings and the bearings between the eccentrics and their rings is advantageous, as thedrainage of oil to one system does not deprive the other of oil as wouldbe the case if both systems took oil from a common chamber in the basin 32.

The base 44 of the spindle 1 may be supported in a concrete foundation in a manner well known. I

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, we show a modified eccentric which may be substituted for those shown on Fig. 1. The pocket 61 is placed near the hub of the eccentric. The pocket will be placed on the right hand or the left hand side of the eccentric accordingly as the eccentric is to rotate anticlockwise or clockwise. Between the hub and the most distant point on the eccentric from the center of rotation ofthe eccentric, we make a preferably radial oil-return chamber 68 opening by the notch 69 into the groove 20 and slanting down there-from to the outlet passage 65.

It was found that if one of the eccentrics was idle, in which case the rods 16 would be disconnected therefrom, the oil in the groove 12 or 20 of the eccentric would be carried to the most distant point on the eccentric and thrown over the eccentric by centrifugal force. In such a case the eccentric would not turn in its strap or ring so as to carry the oil around to the pocket 57 or 61. Accordingly the oil would be thrown over the eccentric at the point of greatest speed and practically none would be carried around to the pocket 57 or 61. The channel 68 is also useful when the oil feed or the speed of rotation is such in normal working of the eccentrics to cause oil to overflow at the points of greatest speed.

The pocket 61 may be located more or less distant from the hub, a. point being selected such that the expected maximum speed of the eccentric will not cause oil toflow over the top of the eccentric.

The bottom of the channel 68 slopes along its entire length so as to overcome the force of centrifugal action everywhere, the slope being greater at its outer end and curving downwardly gradually toward the horizontal as the centrifugal force decreases.

We claim i 1. Inan apparatus of the class described, a vertical spindle, a rigid unit comprising a power-driven wheel and an eccentric rotatable on the spindle and provided with an oilreceiving basin, a ring operated by the eccentrio, there being a passage leading outwardly from the basin to the bearing between the eccentric and its ring, and there being an overflow from the basin at substantially the level of the bottom of the passage, a pump, means delivering oil from the pump to the basin, a reservoir from which the pump takes oil, and means delivering the said excess oil to the reservoir.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a verticaLspindle, a rigid unit comprising a power-driven wheel and an eccentric rotatable on the spindle and provided with an oil-receiving basin, a ring operated by the eccentric, there being a passage leading outwardly from the basin to the upper portion .of the bearing between the eccentric and its ring, the basin having at the side thereof facing the spindle an overflow provision of such height that centrifugal force due to the rotation of the eccentric will supply oil from the basin to the bearing and oil will drain from the basin substantially to such a level as not to supply oil to the bearing when the eccentric 1s stationary.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertical spindle, a rigid unit comprising a power-driven wheel and an eccentric rotatable on the spindle and provided with an oil-receiving basin, a ring operated by the eccentric, there being an oil-carrying groove at the upper edge of the bearing between the eccentric and the ring, and there being a passage leading from the inner wall of the groove to the basin, means for supplying oil to the groove, and a basin wall facing the spindle over which excess oil from the basin flows, the basin wall bein" of such height that oil will be fed by centrifugal force from the basin outwardly through the passage to the bearing only when the eccentric is rotat- 1n i. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertical spindle, a rigid unit comprising a power-driven wheel'and an eccentric rotatable on the spindle, the eccentric being provided with an oil-receiving basin, and a ring bearing on the periphery of the eccentric and operated thereby, the basin having provision for holding oil at such "a height as to supply therefrom the bearing between the ill) eccentric and the ring with oil by centrifugal-force as the eccentric rotates, and to prevent oil being-supplied from the basin to the hearing when the eccentric is idle.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertical spindle, a rigid unit comprising a power-driven wheel and an eccentric rotatable on the spindle and provided with an oil-receiving basin, a ring operated by the eccentric, and means supplying the basin with oil, there being a passage carried by the eccentric between the basin and the spindle to receive and lead toward the splndle {any excess oil delivered to the basin, the

basin having provision for holding oil at such a level as to supply therefrom the bearing between the eccentric and the ring with oil by centrifugal force as the eccentric rotates, and to prevent oil being supplied from the basin to the bearing when the eccentric is idle.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertical spindle, an eccentric rotatable thereon, a ring surrounding '"the eccentric and operable thereby, there being an oil receiving groove at the junction of the upper edges of the eccentric and the ring, and there being an oil channel connected with the said groove at its greatest distance from the center of tending downwardly therefrom toward the said center, the bottom of the channel being at such a distance below the level of the groove as to permit excess oil to run from the groove down the channel against the action of centrifugal force. a

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertical spindle, an eccentric rotatable thereon, a ring surrounding the eccentric and operable thereby, there being an oil receiving groove at the junction of the upper edges of the" eccentric and the ring, and there being an oil channel connected with the said groove at its greatest distance from the center of rotation of the eccentric and extending downwardly therefrom toward the said center, the bottom of the channel being rotation of the eccentric and exat-such a distance below the level of the an oil pocket connected with the said groove.

and carried by the eccentric and holding oil at such a level as to supply the groove with oil by centrifugal force as the eccentric rotates.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertical splndle, a rigid unit comprising a power-driven wheel and an eccentric rotatable on the spindle and provided with an oil-receiving basin at one side of the spindle, a ring positioned on the periphery of the eccentric and operated thereby, the outer wall of the basin having an oil exit of such height as to permit centrifu al force to supply oil therethrough to the bearing surfaces between the eccentric and the ring and another wall of the basin having an oil overflow provision of such hei ht as to cause the oil in the basin to stand below the level of the said exit when the eccentric is idle and at such a level as to permit centrifugal force to drive oil through the exit when the eccentric is rotating, and means for supplying the basin with oil when the eccentric is rotatin v 9. n an apparatus of the class described, an eccentric rotatable on a vertical axis, a ring bearing on the periphery of the eccentric and operablethereby, there being an oilreceiving groove at the junction of the eccentric and the ring, the eccentric having provision for supplying oil to said groove at a point less than the greatest distance of the groove from the center of rotation of the eccentric and there being provision at the said greatest distance for permitting oil passing the first provision to escape from the groove.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto aflix our signatures.

J. SCHWIMMER. 

